5 Top Reasons to go Organic

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I've been following this week's headlines suggesting that organic food is no healthier or more nutritious than conventional food. True, that's the story from the 30,000-foot view. In general, when studies compare organic fare to food produced under normal circumstances, there is no discernable difference in terms of nutrients or bacterial contamination (the type likely to make you ill). However, when you drill down, you'll find that there are still plenty of reasons to shop for organic food.

1)Pesticides. Studies suggest that organic food has lower levels of pesticide residues than conventional food. Granted, it's unclear what these pesticide levels mean to healthy adults (the EPA says they're safe) but very young children and pregnant women may want to be extra cautious considering there is some research linking these groups to health problems. For example, one study found that children with higher-than-average levels of pesticides in their urine had increased odds of developing ADHD.

2)Antibiotics. Chickens and livestock raised on regular farms may routinely be given antibiotics in order to prevent (rather than treat) illness or encourage faster growth. It's thought that this practice has led to the growing problem of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. When you buy animals who haven't been administered antibiotics, you're taking a step toward reducing this threat to human health.

3)Hormones. Conventional cows are often given hormones to promote growth and milk production. Cows given hormones are more susceptible to udder infections (mastitis) and therefore, require more antibiotics in order to treat the infection. Once again, this raises concerns regarding drug-resistant strains of bacteria that are considered a health threat to people. There's also the potential for small amounts of antibiotics to be present in non-organic milk. Although the FDA and the dairy industry say our milk is safe, if you're concerned, you can opt for organic milk.

4) GMOs. Over 90% of soy and 85% of corn grown in the U.S. have been genetically modified. Although it's currently a hotly debated topic, current regulations don't require that food labels state whether a food contains a GMO ingredient. If you want to be sure, choose organic food; by law, it can't be modified.

5)Sustainability. There's no question that organic farming practices respect our land and animals-it's a production system that promotes ecological balance and preservation of our resources. Buying organic fare supports these practices, which tend to be more expensive and labor intensive for the farmers.

As we continue to debate the merits of organic food, there's one thing that's for sure: Fruits and veggies-whether organic or not-are key to a healthy diet. Mountains of evidence shows that people who eat tons of produce have better health than people who skimp on it. So be assured that it's still fine to eat conventional produce-and aim to fill half your plate with produce at every meal.